Quail Tales #18 Keeping quail in a raised natural enclosure

I have built a new enclosure for the main quail flock. It provides them with a relatively natural habitat and me with a means of easy cleaning and interaction.

[@TheMariposaEffect]

I’ve been scouring KZbin for quail cages, and you have by far, thee best (and most humane) setup I’ve come across! ❤

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Thank you so much. Glad you like it. I despair at quail cages with bare floors or wire and no enrichment. There is no excuse for that. I’ll be posting another quail video soon. All the best. Mags

[@TheMariposaEffect]

@@mygardenanddinosaurs I will be on the lookout! We’re on day 10 of incubating our coturnix eggs, and your cage has been SO helpful in finishing ours. 🥰

[@matthew33721]

They're all humane. They are short lifespan birds that are bred for harvesting. 3 to 1sq foot is fine and their mental health isn't any worse

[@homesteadrn.8810]

What a beautiful habitat you have crest for your lovely flocks‼️❤️

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Thank you.

[@chickensquailandbirds5650]

I love it! Thank you for taking great care of your quail and giving them a nice big cage with plenty of stimulation. Sadly many people who own quail these just cram them in wire bottom cages and treat them as objects :(

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Hi. Yes, it makes me sad to see the conditions that some quail have to endure. My quail are pets so I want them to be as happy as possible. All the best. Mags

[@chickensquailandbirds5650]

@@mygardenanddinosaurs My quail are also pets and all quail should be treated good

[@ABrown-pq2qk]

Mags, fantastic home for your birds, what a woman, an inspiration, love your place xx

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Aaw, thank you so much 😁

[@JEFFSTRIKERVLOG0279]

Nice cages thanks for sharing God bless

[@hungariancottageadventure77]

Great set up they look really happy lol love the bachelor pad hopefully they will get along like the other 3 stooges 😂

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Helloooo and thank you. The boys are chilling nicely for now. Spring will bring challenges but I’m hoping over the Winter they will be fine. 🌻

[@irenefulton5580]

Love your set up, my quails gave me a lovely family this year and another one sitting on eggs due any day. I going to have to separate the males until autumn. Copying your idea. Growing spinach seeds is a good idea. I lift them out and they regrow. Provides a good meal. Enjoy your new house.

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Hi Irene. It’s so great that you have broody quail. I think that is quite a rarity. Hope you get lots of bouncing babies. Great to hear from you. All the best. Mags 🌻

[@johoney5458]

very very nice. what a great way to raise them. I hope Larry, Curly and Moe works out. A good idea to keep a spare male or two. I liked your baskets in the bigger cage, and it seems like they do to. I look forward to updates since I have subscribed now This is great and I hope y'all have a blessed day. I just got some quail eggs to hatch, and I found you just in time to add some touches like you did. You have inspired me. lol.

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Thank you and hello and welcome to the channel. Good luck with your hatch. Please let me know how you get on. Re the boys; Larry and Mo went to a new home and Curly is still with me and has his own girls.

[@johoney5458]

ahh. lucky lad. lol. many blessings to you and family. I am part Irish but I don't talk like it, that is just what came to mind.@@mygardenanddinosaurs

[@lisalevin8719]

Thank you for sharing! You've given me some great ideas!

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Hi and thanks Lisa. Good luck with your quaillies 😆

[@peterjohnliversidge7365]

thank you very interesting ...lots of ideas too

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Thank you. Glad you think so.

[@t.h.o.r.]

And here's me on the other side of the world doing exactly what you are doing - and with the same number of quail and stroppy boy problems too. My bachelor pad is working out and my 'sick bird' is not actually sick- he is the sole hatchling of a clutch of eggs and is just too young for now to mix it with the big boys so he is in the wee rabbit carry cage and come in the house at night for another week or so. My quail are such drinkers- I think they might be Welsh! They easily drink a litre a day between them. I have a 3 litre juice bottle on the cage roof plumbed with irrigation pipe down to a row of 'drinkers' those little red toggles - the birds love them.

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Hi. On the one hand quail are so cute and comical but they can be so violent towards one another!!! They do indeed love a drink 😜 Hope you manage to integrate your lone boy without too many problems.

[@riam5429]

Very nice quail house

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Thank you.

[@katiemcdonald5988]

Nice to see someone else likes to give their birds a stimulating environment. I hate these mesh crates you see many quail in. Great set up. I need a roo for my girls, trying to find a quiet one 😂

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Thanks Katie. I am all about giving them a stimulating environment. I can’t bear cages with wire floors - in fact I think they are illegal in the UK. They deserve to have a safe and comfortable place to live. All the best. Mags 🌻

[@t.h.o.r.]

@@mygardenanddinosaurs I have mesh floors but I was dropping in a cardboard sheet around the feeding ares to save food and noticed that the birds actually prefer to spend their days and even sleep on the mesh! I put in a low perch- Its never used But there is always a 'queue' to play in the sand pit 50/50 sand and chainsaw shavings

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

@@t.h.o.r. It is good your birds have a choice. I don't believe quail perch, they prefer being on the ground, under bushes, etc. It is interesting that yours prefer mesh to cardboard. I use a hemp bedding and mine love that because they can hunker down in it. They dust bath in that as much as they dust bath in their sand boxes. Good luck with your quail.

[@beverley1539]

Yay Mags Thankyou for sharing. Well done on the build yes agree that hardcore mesh is difficult to work with hopefully you didn’t get to many scratches and cuts? Always enjoy the quail updates. Blessings to you and Tom see ya later. Ontario Canada 🐝

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Hi Beverley. I was pretty scratched I have to say. Worth it in the end though. 😆😆😆

[@beverley1539]

@@mygardenanddinosaurs absolutely agree good and strong.🐝

[@snoken8981]

I really like your content! Thank you and keep them videos coming!

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Thank you and welcome to the channel. 🌻

[@tenaspish3552]

Just found ur video, Im your 1000th subscriber glad to have found your stuff 🥰

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Welcome to the channel. Thanks for pushing me over into four figures 😁

[@Jazzers444]

Amazing homes you have for them! Love seeing quails being looked after ❤

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Thank you!! 😊

[@GonePottyGardening]

well done Mags what a smashing job, really impressed:)

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Thanks Jackie. Means a lot. I know how practical you are.

[@melissastack5983]

I love the new set up and how the larger group is comfortable with you!

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Thank you Melissa. Glad you like it. Thanks for stopping by. Mags

[@katiesvegpatch]

Absolutely love this. What a beautiful home! I’m definitely making a feeder box for my new quail. I have mine in a cage on the floor because I wanted them to have soil under their feet, but seeing this is making me envious! I spend a lot of time crouching on the floor to look for eggs. 😂

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Hiya. I can’t recommend raised runs highly enough. You can still make the run enriched and have bedding that they can dig around in but you don’t have to bend or crouch to interact with them. Good luck with your quail. 🙂

[@Seven_709]

Very cute!

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Thank you very much. Mags

[@angelinegrows7765]

The new set up is lovely

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Thanks Angelina 😁

[@soota6083]

That was an amazing enclosure. I'm going to model mine off yours. Thanks!

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Thank you. The quail love their habitat. Good luck building yours. All the best. Mags 🌻

[@nataliebutler]

Really lovely set up. Im going to create a more naturalistic environment like this too. Where did you get your feed box please? It looks like a good sturdy one.

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Hi. Thanks for popping by. Glad you are going down the naturalistic route for your quail. Re the feeder, I bought a sturdy little plastic box - it’s the brand Really Useful - and then drilled the holes in it myself. Works a treat.

[@raecheladams8333]

Hello , love watching your channel and im so glad i found you .. question .I would love some quails but I have 2 beagles and not not sure it's a good idea as I have read they are a timid bird and scare easily..so I thought I'd ask you .. cheers

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

So glad you have popped by. Quail need to be kept in a run so will be protected from your dog. They can flush upwards and damage themselves when scared though so best to keep your dog from jumping at the cage. My run is well above the ground and my quail don’t frighten easily. I have used power tools next to them, my cats jump on the run and still they don’t bother.

[@Jessicajanelove]

Amazing!! ❤🥰

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Thank you!!

[@carolinegray3150]

Good work

[@lyndabell1966]

Oh my goodness my heart is exploding lol!! ❤❤❤❤ I built a very similar habitat for my pet silky mice! Haha. Doesn't it feel wonderful. Like..... "how the heck did I figure this out? " hahahaha ❤ I don't have quail yet but I want to build a happy habitat for them first. I'm so glad I found your channel🥰. I do have a question for you. Is it hard to keep their home clean? I'm in the USA by the way. Please to meet you fellow caring sister.

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Hello Lynda and welcome to the channel. The quail sometimes get poo on their feet and I have to carefully chip away at it to remove the poo without removing their teeny claws. You can keep that to a minimum by skimming the bedding each day to remove poos and fluffing it up to keep the surface tidy. It doesn’t happen often to be honest. It is still so preferable in my eyes than keeping them on wire. I have added piles of hay over the winter and they love making little dens in it and getting cosy. Good luck when/if you get your own quail covey. All the best. Mags

[@lilyroseshandmade6525]

Do they stay outside all year round? Your set up is wonderful.

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Hi. Yes, they are out all year round. Just ensure they are dry, free from drafts and have places to snuggle up in.

[@pedroaquatic95]

I like you cage

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Thank you.

[@carolinegray3150]

Lovely

[@mission4wallstpt670]

This is beautiful, my favorite I’ve seen so far. I have a question. Have the quail ever been spooked and popped up to the ceiling (getting hurt)? I’ve been very conflicted in my research with many claiming certain heights are dangerous but I think this looks very good for them. Thank you for your feedback!

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Hi there. Thanks for watching. I personally have not experienced my quail flushing up and hurting themselves on the roof. I think that is because they are pets and soon get used to me opening the run and cleaning, feeding, etc. For quail that get little handling or interaction maybe they will remain skittish. All the best. Mags

[@pukavita]

I like to see the quails in this environment... far better that the typical quail cages people use. But how much work is to clean this coop?

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

To be honest it isn’t hard. I skim off the poo daily then fluff the bedding. I top up when required. Thanks for watching. Mags

[@pukavita]

@@mygardenanddinosaurs Thanks for getting back to me.

[@ED-eh6iq]

This was so interesting! I would love quails one day but I am wondering how to have a self sustaining population and also not sure I could face culling or eating males 😬

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

I do not cull and do not breed much at all. I top up the population by buying in more quail. When you are talking about just a few birds, it is not costly.

[@jacquelinestravels]

Can you tell me what the camera is please , I’d like to get one for my quail enclosure . Your set up is amazing . I love that it’s up at waist height .

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Thanks Jacqueline, I'm really happy with the run. This is the camera... www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08JPDSVYK/ref=sspa_dk_detail_5?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B08JPDSVYK&pd_rd_w=38Uw4&pf_rd_p=63c922c2-0d1e-424b-861c-70cf96420fed&pd_rd_wg=WGsVV&pf_rd_r=VGHZVAJD8WKCQZQQ40WP&pd_rd_r=cb40bb02-b7fb-4cd7-bd76-f7bb9c73f154&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFaOE9ZMzBVR1FWRFYmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA5NTg0MTAxVUEzMlpQNklKU0hEJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAwNDAyNjMySzY5T0pXTFk4UVlJJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfZGV0YWlsJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

[@ensignj3242]

I like how you made their home but clean up must be hard.

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Hi. Actually it’s not too bad. I skim the poo off the top each day and give it a fluff up. Then I top up as needed. They seem to really like it.

[@james.5768]

Hi, I was just wondering what bedding you use for then run/cage? Is there a brand or store you recommend. I am in the UK too. Many thanks

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Hi James. I have been using Easibed or Easichick for a few years. This is woodchip designed to be used as bedding and it is dust free and treated so mould won’t grow. Love it. Only downside is it takes ages to break down in the compost bin. I have recently started using a hemp bedding called Aubiose. This has the advantages of Easichic and Easibed plus it is meant to compost much faster. I use my local feed merchant but at a push I have used Amazon but they are more expensive. Hope this helps.

[@james.5768]

@@mygardenanddinosaurs Thanks for the great response, I actually had narrowed it down to these 2 options so that's good. Advice off experts always helps so thanks. Do you have a Facebook page at all? I may have a couple of other questions if it would be ok to ask. Again thanks.

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

@@james.5768 hi James. Glad to be of help. Yes, my Facebook is also called My Garden and the Dinosaurs who Live There. Look forward to seeing you there.

[@bonniecaouette2975]

I am looking at your build to do mine, but am wondering how you clean it out. How did you construct the bottome? Do you simply reach in and scoop out litter of is there a way you can rake it/pull it out through an open door?

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Hi Bonnie. Thanks so much for watching the video. I just muck out the run by removing poo and topping up. Deep litter really. Every few weeks I remove all bedding and start again.

[@diversitylove5460]

❤. Question have you tried calcium sand for quail?

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Hi. I put aviary sand in their dust bath. It has tiny pieces of oyster shell and grit in it but is still lovely and soft for dust bathing. They love it.

[@diversitylove5460]

Ok I shall try that. I think I will use my cat scooper to clean the sand. I will put small plants in for them. Thinking of using succulent pots with edible seedlings for them.

[@diversitylove5460]

I am testing systems so we can redesign urban housing and save the world 🌎 😊 Ever since I saw agora tower in Taiwan. How thé have a 3 source micro grid, solar on the walls of the high rise and internal wind and water turbines. They have acre balconies so people can grow food. I want people to love animals too. So testing systems for smaller friends and design of wildlife crossings It’s just a hobby. I am not big enough to save even myself but it feels good to try.

[@Matthew-tf4nr]

Hello there. Where did you get your rabbit style water bottles from please.

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Hi. I’m in the UK and there is a chain of pet stores called Pets at Home. That’s where I got the bottles.

[@sarahw3102]

How do you clean them out? Can you give any tips or videos?

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Hi. I skim off the obvious poop each day then turn all the wood chips to plump them up. Every week or so I remove areas that are getting particularly messy and replace with fresh wood chip. I will include in a video. Thanks for watching. 🌻🌻🌻

[@Sweetiedarling123]

Do you still have your quails x

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Hi Nicola. Yes I do. I will be posting another video about them in the coming week or two.